For
200 years men & women have lost everything, even their lives
& families, to the mystery of this island. |
 Map of Oak Island from the George Bates Maritime map set. |
| This
small website was made Feb 17 1998. I did not expect it would have
many visitors. By Dec 2006, it averages of 600 visitors a month. First
update since 1998 done Dec 8 2006. For more updated news about Oak Island, visit the Oak Island Tourism Society >> |
| Money Pit Shaft Illustration (cross section)
|
The short version - sometime around 1640 a.d. to 1730 a.d., someone arrived at Oak Island off the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, and constructed an ingenious shaft (labelled "Money Pit" on the map above) into the island's core, possibly even into the bedrock below. This was possible since the island is a heavy clay, resistant to the surrounding seawater and collapse. They then built a clever trap involving a pressure seal in the shaft itself and narrow hidden tunnels that slopped away up to the sea from the bottom of the shaft. The trick was straight forward enough - break the pressure seal in the shaft, seawater then floods in from below, unless of course you built it and know the trick of cutting off the tunnels to the sea ahead of time. Given that the pressure seals were intact when the shaft was found, it seems likely that the builders never returned. Who they were and what the shaft's purpose was are a mystery. Donald Daniel McInnis, who owned land on the island in 1795, found the shaft, filled with soil, and thus began one of the most fascinating and famous treasure hunts ever pursued. The accumulation of facts and mythology continues. That it was a huge undertaking for its day is certain. That a shaft
was there is certain. That artifacts have been found all over the
island, and under it, dated to the 1600s onward, is certain. That
treasure hunters have destroyed the shaft and much of the island's
surface is also certain. Much of the Money Pit's current surroundings
are bare soil. In winter with the trees bare it looks like a wasteland
in a warzone. At the time this website was made, it seemed that there were no
plans for further digs. In 2006 new partners are attempting a new
exploration, but are delayed by the Nova Scotia Provincial Government’s
Treasure Trove Lisence until 2008. Whatever secrets are buried beneath its surface seem likely to stay there for a while yet. It seems obvious that something was buried, but numerous other theories abound - from Francis Bacon to UFOs to the Holy Grail, even the possibility of an 300 year old practical joke. [For several corrections and updates we are grateful to Danny Hennnigar of the Oak Island Tourism Society] |
| Oak
Island Links Most of the links here have become dead over time. I suggest instead Googling for more Oak Island websites. |
The
Oak Island Society - a local non-profit group supporting preservation
of, and tourism on Oak Island. Definitely worth a look! Oak Island
Inn (actually just across the bay, now named the Oak Island
Resort, Spa, and Convention Center) |
| Where
is Oak Island On the Atlantic North East coast of North America, in Nova Scotia, Canada. Not too far North of New York. |
 Map from The Big Dig by Darcy O'Connor. |
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